The plays all have different characters and story lines, but have similar themes. From Feb-Apr, 2013 the three plays are being presented together for the first time. You can see one or see them all.About the title of the Trilogy: Listen to Zaraawar's telling of The Sugar in the Milk story, from his collection of Children's Stories from India.

There are three resident director positions available for the Critical Languages Scholarship program's summer programs in India, operated by AIIS. The three positions would be Punjabi in Chandigarh, Urdu in Lucknow and Hindi in Jaipur. Details available by clicking the links below.

The Community College Humanities Association (CCHA) hosts an institute, "India's Past and the Making of the Present," directed by Beverly Blois (Northern Virginia Community College) and Daniel Ehnbom (University of Virginia), to be held in New Delhi, India. The project allows participants from two- and four-year colleges and universities to study selected aspects of India's history, literature, architecture, art and religion with some of the foremost scholars, journalists, film makers, and leaders of social movements in India. The institute moves chronologically through Indian history.
The first week begins with an introduction to the Indus Valley civilization and the Aryan question and enlarges the discussion to how these early societies facilitated the establishment of an enduring culture that is reflected in India today. During this week, co-director Blois leads a study tour of the city of Delhi and its sites of cultural importance.
The second week moves to classical India and the development of established religious faiths that led to attempts at socio-religious syncretism. Texts studied this week include the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita and site visits include a trip to Varanasi and nearby Sarnath.
The third week delves into the initial encounter between India and Islam (1206-1526), closely examines the nature of the complicated and intertwined relationship that developed between the two, and traces this relationship to its current dissension in India. Participants are also joined on a tour of the Taj Mahal by Ebba Koch, an art historian and advisor on the building's restoration.
The final week focuses on the British Raj, India's independence, and the making of modern India. Guest lectures touch on a variety of topics including British colonialism, Gandhi and Nehru's role in India's independence, and the issue of communal violence which emerged in the 1950s, as a dark underside of Indian politics and society.
Visiting lecturers for the institute include Meena Nayak (Northern Virginia Community College), Swami Agnivesh (Bonded Labour Liberation Front), M. J. Akbar (India Today), David Campion (Lewis and Clark College), Sudeep Chakravarty (Manipal University, India), Asghar Ali Engineer (Institute of Islamic Studies, India), Tushar Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, India), Mushirul Hasan (National Archives of India), Karthika V. K. (Harper Collins India), Ebba Koch (University of Vienna, Austria), Sunil Kumar (Delhi University, India), Shereen Ratnagar (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India), Romila Thapar (University of London, UK), and Shashi Tharoor (author and former United Nations Under-Secretary General).
Faculty: Shereen Ratnagar, Romila Thapar, Asghar Ali Engineer, Swami Agnivesh, Mushirul Hasan, Karthika V. K., Sudeep Chakravarty, Ebba Koch, M. J. Akbar, Sunil Kumar, Meena Nayak, David Campion, Shyam Benegal , Shashi Tharoor, Tushar Gandhi
Dates: July 1-26 (4 weeks)
Director(s): Beverly Blois, Northern Virginia Community College and Daniel Ehnbom, University of Virginia
Grantee Institutions: Community College Humanities Association
Location: New Delhi, Varanasi, and Agra, India
Website: http://www.ccha-assoc.org/India2013
Information:
David A. Berry, Project Manager
Community College Humanities Association
c/o Essex County College
303 University Ave.
Newark, NJ 07102-1798
973/877-3204berry@essex.eduAbout NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes for College and University Teachers
Each year the NEH's Division of Education Programs offers teachers opportunities to study a variety of humanities topics in Summer Seminars and Institutes. Each NEH Summer Seminar includes sixteen participants working in collaboration with one or two leading scholars. Participants have access to a major research collection, with time reserved to pursue individual projects.Amount of Award
NEH Summer Scholars are awarded fixed stipends to help cover travel costs, books and other research expenses, and living expenses. Stipend amounts are based on the length of the NEH Summer Seminar or Institute: $2,100 (2 weeks), $2,700 (3 weeks), $3,300 (4 weeks), $3,900 (5 weeks), or $4,500 (6 weeks).Eligibility
NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes are designed primarily for teachers of American undergraduate students. Qualified independent scholars and those employed by museums, libraries, historical societies, and other organizations may be eligible to compete provided they can effectively advance the teaching and research goals of the project.
You may request information about as many projects as you like, but you may apply to no more than two NEH Summer Programs (seminars, institutes, or Landmarks workshops) and you may attend only one.
Please note:
Adjunct faculty, community college faculty and first-time participants are encouraged to apply.
Up to two seminar spaces and three institute spaces are reserved for current full-time graduate students in the humanities.Click here for more information and application instructions.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Department of Asian Languages and Literatures is looking for a Hindi Teacher this semester. If you know of someone who has native or near-native proficiency in Hindi please encourage him/her to apply for the position.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Undergraduate Course ALL 3920, "Topics in Asian Culture - Exploring India: Languages, Literatures, and Film" will be taught spring 2013 by Dr. Sungok Hong. This course will explore the languages of India from genealogical, linguistic, typological, historical and sociological perspectives.

ALL 3920 - Topics in Asian Culture

Exploring India: Languages, Literatures, and Film

4:00 - 5:15 p.m. TTh

Instructor: Dr. Sungok Hong

This is a survey course of the culture of Indian languages, including as seen through literature and film. This course will explore the languages of India from genealogical, linguistic, typological, historical and sociological perspectives. We will explore the literatures of several main South Asian languages with a focus on Hindi - Urdu literatures and film, considering their origins, periodization, and names during each period. We will also examine the important writers and their representative work along with the literary trends and influences, including political, social, and cultural situations which helped to shape the writers and their work.

Indian films, including those based on literature, have attained a very special place in the lives of Indian people as an important means of entertainment, reaching a larger audience that will not or cannot read the original work. The second half of this course will be spent on screening selected Hindi/Urdu films and discussing themes and messages that the writers try to convey to readers/audiences, and any cultural or social issues that need to be addressed. Students will have a chance to read English translations of some of the selected Hindi/Urdu works.